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I predict that prior to the 2020 elections the United States and China will conclude negotiations for China to oversee reunification of the Korean Peninsula and implement a more capitalist economic / political model in North Korea. In return, the United States will acquire agreements to: 1) dismantle or abandon most-but-not-all Chinese man-made islands in the South China Sea; 2) agree to recognize some claims on certain gas / petroleum reserves by ASEAN nations, especially those currently under litigation in International courts; and 3) agree on economic trade that benefits both the US and China.

I was cuisin’ the Internet this morning, and reflected that while I can find opinions supporting my negative prognostications regarding the stock market, I can also find articles supporting a “bullish” outlook despite the problems with Greece, the Fed, Puerto Rico, the Euro. I also took a look at the political domain, and found positions both supporting and denigrating Mr. Trump.

The “Trump” situation is perhaps a clearer domain upon which to focus. There are obvious power plays being conducted both on and against his behalf. And it occurred to me, perhaps the same could be said for reporting on International markets. In both domains people have a lot to gain from power and financial perspectives.

If I look at National Review, I can pretty well guess that the reports are going to be negative about “the Donald” because NR’s management is in the tank for the old-guard GOP. If I look at Breitbart, I can pretty well anticipate some positive puff-pieces on Mr. Trump ’cause management falls in the Tea Party orbit.

But if you’re looking for financial advice, can you truly anticipate which bias is being reported? With all the back-room deals going on, the vision is murky at best, and the air is redolent with the odor of hidden secrets that only the rich and powerful share with each other.

However, it would be wise to note that the problems in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, China, and Lebanon are what you get when you “Hope” for “Change”, and all you have to back it up are Candied Rainbows and Unicorn Tears.

It’s not that the Left isn’t correct to cut back on the Right’s desire to play World Policeman, it’s just that their utopian dreams for society are woefully unprepared for the realities of an existence dominated by the urge for survival and the existence of Evil. “Reality” is the bullet that strikes you in the chest when you think that the mugger will leave you alone after taking your wallet.

A listing of the offenses and possible justification for impeachment, yet the article closes with the following:

The bottom line is that weak leadership in Congress will never call for impeachment of inept leadership in the White House. Even if a strong case could be made, the major media and entertainment industry would do everything it could to destroy as many opposition political careers as possible.

The new year brought more bad news for the president. Instead of going for immigration reform as his top legislative priority, he squandered much of his political capital on a doomed effort to enact gun restrictions. In March and April, House Republicans battered him on Benghazi. In May, he learned that the Internal Revenue Service had inappropriately monitored conservative groups, putting him on the defensive. At the same time, he came under fire for Justice Department investigations of journalists.

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Add to that those House Republicans who think their mandate for obstruction trumps the president’s mandate. “In a sense, they don’t accept the results of the presidential election,” says Bill Schneider of the moderate Democratic group Third Way. “To them, it is still November 2010 and they are still operating on that mandate.” Given that GOP mind-set, Schneider says, it was “a bit naive” of Obama to think that his win would “break the fever.” Combine that naivete with bad luck, and there isn’t much doubt that the exhilaration of McCormick Place is just a distant memory.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration is directly responsible for fueling anti-American sentiment, not simply because of its record of hostilities that include covert cyber-warfare and presidential authorizations that have added weight to “crippling sanctions” on Iran, but also due to the contradictory and incoherent approach of US officials; officials who include Wendy Sherman.

The top US negotiator, Sherman billed the last Geneva round as “serious and substantive” and, yet, in the same breath insulted the Iranian national character with her undiplomatic statement that deception is part of Iranians’ DNA.